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Metropolis Performing Arts Center enriches the community with the beauty and culture of the theater, so it only makes sense that their version of a 5K is intensely theatrical. Dressed as a favorite stage, screen, or TV character, participants walk, jog, and monologue their way
through a route that rolls by the verdant lawns and tree-lined streets of Arlington Heights. Twists and turns down Walnut and Maple and Chestnut streets breaks up Evergreen and Highland Avenue straightaways, and prizes at the finish line reward out-of-breath thespians for creating the best group or individual costumes.

The Stained Glass Coffeehouse's concerts immerse audiences in the soothing euphonies of local and nationally known musicians in an intimate space. Tangleweed weaves a bluegrass twang into original songs and traditional ditties, getting feet stomping with old-timey aplomb. Guests take home a copy of the band's fourth album, Please Punch Richard for Me, keeping concert-formed memories alive or training a flock of parrots to imitate the singers' voices. Annie and Rod Capps couple the former's winsome vocals with the latter's deft instrumental accompaniment, and Kim and Reggie Harris caress ears with a songbook of folk music and African-American spirituals. Irish-American guitarist and singer Joe Jencks opens up hearts with soulful lyrics and crystalline vocals, and local artists open every concert, warming up audiences and melting heckling snowmen before headlining acts take the stage. The proceeds from each event will be donated to local and international charities.

The Music Theatre Company's production of Merrily We Roll Along, a Stephen Sondheim composition based on the 1934 Kaufman and Hart play, weaves a show biz success story in reverse. The musical begins with Franklin Shepard’s wild fame as a film producer before unraveling nearly 20 years of his past to uncover countless love affairs, missed opportunities, and humble dreams.

Helmed by Victor Muenzer, a Grammy-winning conductor and trumpeter, the Park Ridge Civic Orchestra breathes new life into classical masterworks, operatic favorites, and Broadway hits. Instead of hiring Shakespeare’s ghost to run a kissing booth, the orchestra delivers two tributes to his most famous love story, Romeo & Juliet, in its "Valentine Romance" program. A cadre of soloists who have played with venerable Chicagoland and international orchestras make hearts swoon during Prokofiev’s emotionally intense Romeo & Juliet, op. 64 and a star-crossed suite from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story. In addition to performing a solo, local violist Dan Golden will premiere his latest composition, Eine Kleine Klezmer Musik, a danceable love song to Jewish music from Eastern Europe.

• Seating in section 2 or 4, rows C–J, for the show on Thursday, July 14, at 10 a.m. • Seating in section 2, rows C–J, or section 4, rows D–J, for the show on Friday, July 15, at 10 a.m. • Seating in section 1, row C, or section 2 or 3, rows D–J, for the show on Saturday, July 16, at 10 a.m.

Groupon Guide

It’s been a busy summer for Chicago rapper Tink. In April, super-producer Timbaland announced that he would be working with her on her album. Later that month, she put out two great singles: “Don’t Tell Nobody,” with Jeremih (of “Birthday Sex” fame), and “Want It,” a collaboration with singer Kelela (who performs at Pitchfork Fest this month). Ever since, she’s been traveling around the country, doing shows and making frequent trips to Timbaland’s Miami studio, The Hit Factory.
Tink has passions besides music, though. In a January interview, she told Rookie that if she wasn’t rapping, she might be studying fashion. Recently, we decided to follow that thread and talk with her about her favorite look from this summer, which she wore to perform at Northwestern University’s spring music festival, Dillo Day.
The look: Track jacket and sneakers (both from Puma) with a bustier-style crop top and high-waisted shorts (both from Forever 21).
On Forever 21: “[Forever 21 is] my go-to spot. I won’t lie. I’ve been shopping there since high school.”
On her high-waisted shorts: “I’m tall, so I like high-waist jeans and shorts so I don’t look off balance. They fit my figure better.”
On her bright yellow nails: “Summertime, neon colors are the best.”
On her hair: “This is the first day I ever did pigtails! Groupon’s getting the exclusive.”
On her track jacket: “The jacket reminds me of like a ‘90s vibe. With my music, I love the ‘90s. You can tell with some of my songs. But it’s just the zebra print, the checkerboard…it’s so funky. ‘90s funky. I like that.”
On why this is the perfect Tink outfit: “There’s gonna be one piece of clothing that just stands out.” Here, it’s the jacket; in the video for her song “Bars,” it was a vest. “The hood was cheetah print. That was dope to me. The whole interior was actually cheetah print.”
On the Dillo Day crowd: “I was kind of shocked. It was a college crowd, so I wasn’t sure if they were up on my music, but they turned up to everything we played…[They were] more so into the music than me, which was great. I didn’t have to work so hard, I was just taking them off the beat!”
On running into fellow Chicago native Chance the Rapper there: “We were on the same show like two years ago, and we had just shook hands, but we actually go to talk at Dillo Day, which was real cool. Shout-out to Chance!”
Photo: Andrew Nawrocki, Groupon

They’re known for their heavy-hitting, metalesque punk, but the Supersuckers are well-suited for an acoustic set with their background in outlaw country.
Sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. Also: booze, swearing, and more drugs. And a little bit of country music. That’s the basic formula for the Supersuckers’ sonic party, which has been steadily raging since 1988. The band is a sure bet to play harder and longer than anyone else—even if they pull out all the plugs.
That’s exactly what they’ll do on Saturday, April 12, when hirsute singer Eddie Spaghetti and guitarist “Metal” Marty Chandler put on a free acoustic show at Reggies’ Record Breakers. This time, it’s a party with a purpose; the band recently released a new album, Get the Hell, and they’re anxious to share some of the material with fans.
Blending massive riffs, punk-rock tempos, and a Tucson twang—think Rocket from the Crypt with a side of country gravy—the Supersuckers have always revelled in excess. But it took a departure from their usual style to elevate their sound to something more distinctive.
It started with 1997’s Must’ve Been High, which signaled a new era from the opening notes played on a lonely harmonica. The rest of the album proved to be straight-up country of the outlaw variety, complete with a cameo by Willie Nelson. Even today, Eddie Spaghetti still wears his cowboy hat proudly, and the band still tours with 500 head of cattle in tow.
Though the Supersuckers have explored other sonic territories since, they’re still known to break out their country tunes on tour. It’s likely the audience will hear that side of the band at their acoustic show.
But “country” doesn’t mean sappy love songs about trucks and blue jeans. No, the Supersuckers have always been more interested in singing about stuff like overbearing record producers (“The Captain”) and innovative timekeeping methods (“One Cigarette Away”).
The whole band will be playing the Metro after Eddie and Marty hit up Record Breakers, but this free afternoon show offers a more intimate look at the Supersuckers. Just remember: if you want to keep your teeth, don’t look Eddie in the eye.
Eddie Spaghetti and “Metal” Marty Chandler of the Supersuckers play Record Breakers on Saturday, April 12, at 4 p.m. This is a free show, and hot dogs and pop will be provided. Read more here.
Check out Eddie Spaghetti strumming an acoustic version of “Mean Eyed Cat” at the Underground in Hamilton, Ontario:
Photo courtesy of the artist.

Rising duo oscillates nimbly between genres, creating danceable tunes with lyrical bite.
Twenty One Pilots plucked their name from Arthur Miller’s 1947 play All My Sons, wherein a man is sent into an existential tizzy after his actions cause the death of—you guessed it—21 pilots. The name reflects the band’s lyrical struggle with knotty moral questions, but not the music itself, which is almost aggressively modern. Hip-hop beats and chewy rhymes dominate one song, twinkling pianos and ukuleles another. Most call it schizoid pop. If there’s a better term out there, we haven’t heard it.
Twenty One Pilots plays the Riviera Theatre (4746 N. Racine Ave.) on Friday, April 18, at 7:30 p.m. NONONO and Hunter Hunted open. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased here.